1890 – Birth of Ernst Freiherr von Althaus, German World War I flying ace.

1910 – Orville Wright begins training students in Montgomery, Ala., at a site that later becomes Maxwell Air Force Base.

1954 – First flight of the Auster AOP.9 (shown), a light British military observation aircraft.

1976 – Death of Aldo Bocchese, Italian World War I flying ace.

1998 – At the age of 82, Wing Cmdr. Ken Wallis sets a world record time for reaching an altitude of 9,842 feet in an autogyro; he sets a time of 7 minutes, 20 seconds in his WA12.

2011 – Aircraft of the French Air Force make the first attacks of the military intervention in Libya, striking Libyan government armored vehicles south of Benghazi during the Second Battle of Benghazi. U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirits, American fighters, and Royal Air Force aircraft go into action later in the day, striking Libyan government ground forces and air defense sites.